Report: Man who Radicalized Tamerlan is a Muslim convert from Christianity

So, the man being identified by the Tsarnaev family as having been responsible for making Tamerlan more fundamentalist is allegedly an Armenian named ‘Misha’, who converted from Christianity to Islam. One can logically conclude that ‘Misha’ was not in a position to convert Tamerlan until ‘Misha’ converted to Islam, which begs another question: Who converted ‘Misha’?

The reach of the cleric who allegedly inspired the Fort Hood Jihadist also may have extended to the Boston marathon bombers.

Via Daily Mail:

During his hospital room interrogation, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told FBI agents this week that he and his brother were influenced by the internet sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born preacher who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in September 2011.

There is a long trail of hardened terrorists who have acknowledged coming under his sway. Among them are Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American who attempted to set off a car bomb in Times Square in May 2010, and Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army officer who killed 13 people in a shooting spree at Fort Hood in 2009.

Incidentally, it was during the George W. Bush administration that al-Awlaki was given a plush luncheon at the DOD after 9/11 and allowed to leave the U.S., despite a warrant having been issued for his arrest.

It also appears that during an intense religious conversation in the Tsarnaev kitchen between ‘Misha’ and Tamerlan, Zubeidat (the Tsarnaevs’ mother) encouraged it to continue, according to Tamerlan’s former brother-in-law, Elmirza Khozhugov.

Misha was an Armenian native and a convert to Islam and quickly began influencing his new friend, family members said.

Once, Khozhugov said, Misha came to the family home outside Boston and sat in the kitchen, chatting with Tamerlan for hours.

‘Misha was telling him what is Islam, what is good in Islam, what is bad in Islam,’ said Khozhugov, who said he was present for the conversation. ‘This is the best religion and that’s it. Mohammed said this and Mohammed said that.’

The conversation continued until Tamerlan’s father, Anzor, came home from work.

‘It was late, like midnight,’ Khozhugov said. ‘His father comes in and says, ‘Why is Misha here so late and still in our house?’ He asked it politely. Tamerlan was so much into the conversation he didn’t listen.’

Khozhugov said Tamerlan’s mother, Zubeidat, told him not to worry.

‘Don’t interrupt them,’ Khozhugov recalled the mother saying. ‘They’re talking about religion and good things. Misha is teaching him to be good and nice.’

Of course, who wouldn’t listen to this woman?

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